Special time to think, study, create, write...at the 2030 Iowa Retreats.

2030 Iowa Retreats bring the young clergy together - daycare provided for the children.

The Bright Light of Failure

Since reading the book, Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath, I’ve really been attentive to the bright spots in my ministry as well as the ways in which I learn from failure. Although they seem like opposite ends of the spectrum, the line between these two things is very blurry.

Case in point: I struggled to get critical mass for Called to Lead groups this year. Last year, there were 20-30 people who participated. I should have easily been able to build on that, right? Modifications I made to the schedule actually impeded people from participating. After beating my head against that wall for a while, I decided that the goal of the groups — building community among Faith Formation leaders in the Iowa Conference UCC — couldn’t happen if no one could actually be there. I had to modify the plan once again.

This thing that initially seemed like a failure became a bright spot. I developed a free way to connect to these groups via Facebook. (To learn more, check our website.) An experiment, for sure; but, one that is potentially rich for reaching even more faith formation leaders hungry for the support and nurture of colleagues.

When has a ‘failure’ of yours turned into a bright spot? How have you adapted to a new reality in a way that created even more possibility for your ministry or work?